Update 2/14/24:
Dear Friends of the Okemos Solar Racing Club,
In our second edition of the latest season’s newsletter, we have various updates and exciting announcements to make!
Lately, our club meetings have been dedicated to teaching new members fabrication, computer modeling, and critical thinking skills.
In the fabrication department, our rookie members have successfully dismantled our crush zone and neck support structures as we aim to reduce weight and construct a more comfortable head position for our driver. New members gained experience with the angle grinder with its various cutting and grinding attachments.
In our second edition of the latest season’s newsletter, we have various updates and exciting announcements to make!
Lately, our club meetings have been dedicated to teaching new members fabrication, computer modeling, and critical thinking skills.
In the fabrication department, our rookie members have successfully dismantled our crush zone and neck support structures as we aim to reduce weight and construct a more comfortable head position for our driver. New members gained experience with the angle grinder with its various cutting and grinding attachments.
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With computer modeling (CAD), members are learning the basics through a free web-based software.
Aside from these more tangible skills, the rookie members have also begun working in real-world situations. Faced with regulations to meet and a scarce budget, our members are getting an introduction into the realm of problem-solving.
Pictured below is a newly designed steering linkage coverage, which is easily removable to allow for steering maintenance while providing optimal linkage coverage.
Pictured below is a newly designed steering linkage coverage, which is easily removable to allow for steering maintenance while providing optimal linkage coverage.
Aside from that, our team is looking to the future, where we plan to race in the advanced division with a new car. The following is an image of a wooden mock-up frame of the 2025 car our new members helped construct.
Now for a major announcement! As a club, we have decided to officially move from the Advanced Classic Division to the Advanced Division! We believe that experimenting with hub motors and higher efficiency panels will provide us with the needed experience as we look to the future of our club.
So where do we go from here?
As the competition approaches, we have some rapidly approaching critical project deadlines installing a hub motor, buying and mounting higher efficiency solar panels, and various other projects to help maximize our efficiency.
Finally, we would like to thank the generous sponsors and community members who made and continue to make this journey possible. From our first meeting in the summer of 2022 to our 2023 national championship, it has been the continued support of our sponsors and community that has driven us to success, sparking passion in the young engineers involved in the program. Your unwavering support has been the key to our success and on behalf of all members of our team, we thank you.
Cheers,
The Okemos Solar Racing Club
So where do we go from here?
As the competition approaches, we have some rapidly approaching critical project deadlines installing a hub motor, buying and mounting higher efficiency solar panels, and various other projects to help maximize our efficiency.
Finally, we would like to thank the generous sponsors and community members who made and continue to make this journey possible. From our first meeting in the summer of 2022 to our 2023 national championship, it has been the continued support of our sponsors and community that has driven us to success, sparking passion in the young engineers involved in the program. Your unwavering support has been the key to our success and on behalf of all members of our team, we thank you.
Cheers,
The Okemos Solar Racing Club
Update 11/30/23:
Dear Friends of the Okemos Solar Racing Club,
We are happy to present our first newsletter for the 2023-2024 season.
The team has been gearing up for a new year after our success in the 2023 Solar Car Challenge, where we placed 1st in the Classic Division. So far this year, we have been working on further developing our club. We currently have a few main goals in mind. Plan our and start work on upgrading and fixing our current car "The Leadsled Mk II" for the 2024 challenge as well as begin a new wave of fundraising for a new season. With many upcoming projects, we will have plenty to document for you all in the coming months. So, what has OSRC been up to for the last 3 months?
We are happy to present our first newsletter for the 2023-2024 season.
The team has been gearing up for a new year after our success in the 2023 Solar Car Challenge, where we placed 1st in the Classic Division. So far this year, we have been working on further developing our club. We currently have a few main goals in mind. Plan our and start work on upgrading and fixing our current car "The Leadsled Mk II" for the 2024 challenge as well as begin a new wave of fundraising for a new season. With many upcoming projects, we will have plenty to document for you all in the coming months. So, what has OSRC been up to for the last 3 months?
In August, we were visited by the University of Michigan Solar Car Team. During that time, their team drove their brand new car "Astrum" through the state in preparation for the 2023 World Solar Challenge. During this trip, they used the high school as a control stop. Members had the opportunity to ask questions about Astrum and get some insight into college-level solar racing. We had a great time speaking to their team!
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In September, we worked on recruitment for our club. As a result, we gained 23 new members. Below is a promotional video we made for our club.
src promo 23-24
To organize the new batch of our club, we restructured how the divisions were led. Some experienced members were assigned as division leaders. Our leaders are as follows.
Captain - Junseo Hong
Co-Captain - David Shi
Mechanical/Business - Aniket Innuganti
Main Electrical - Alex Kong
Co Supplemental Electrical - Aarav Zutshi and Haotian Li
Telemetry- Haotian Li
CAD - David Ried
Graphics/Design - Amy Lee
In October, we got to drive our car in our city's annual homecoming parade. Our graphic designer added some nice touches to the exterior, making the car look presentable. The car garnered a lot of community interest and we answered questions about our car.
src promo 23-24
To organize the new batch of our club, we restructured how the divisions were led. Some experienced members were assigned as division leaders. Our leaders are as follows.
Captain - Junseo Hong
Co-Captain - David Shi
Mechanical/Business - Aniket Innuganti
Main Electrical - Alex Kong
Co Supplemental Electrical - Aarav Zutshi and Haotian Li
Telemetry- Haotian Li
CAD - David Ried
Graphics/Design - Amy Lee
In October, we got to drive our car in our city's annual homecoming parade. Our graphic designer added some nice touches to the exterior, making the car look presentable. The car garnered a lot of community interest and we answered questions about our car.
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As of today, members have gotten to work on new projects such as redoing the crush zone, overhauling the electrical systems, improving our aerodynamics, and purchasing new solar panels.
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On a final note, we have a major announcement. Since we are entering our 3rd race year, the OSRC is now automatically registered in the Advanced Classic Division for the 2024 Solar Car Challenge, a closed-track race at the Texas Motor Speedway. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. We will keep you all posted.
Sincerely,
The Okemos Solar Racing Club
Sincerely,
The Okemos Solar Racing Club